Hootentown Canoe Rental, Campground and Store, Crane MO

Reservations will not be honored.
Had family reunion and reserved 4 rafts for 24 people (including coming in from out of state). We packed everything up for our group, got children ready and excited for the day. However, upon arrival, we were informed that only 1 raft was reserved. The email confirmation from Diana, responding to our request for four rafts, held zero value. While mistakes can happen, the lackluster response from staff to resolve their error, reinforces the indifference that this business has to you, as their future customer.

If you do choose to proceed with this business, please manage your expectations and have a back-up plan.

For staff, please slow down and read reservation requests carefully. Accuracy matters to your customers who are relying on the commitment you provide.

We just went for our first time last Sunday. It was very very busy. Chaotic busy. We had the staff at hooton town go pick up our vehicle from where we launched while we floated. They had a flat on our trailer on the way back. They went above and beyond with not only changing our tire but they had one there and the two guys helping us were so respectful and just plain great people. Couldn't have asked for a better experience besides we forgot our sun screen and now look like lobsters. The wife and I took 5 overly excited kids on the 7 mile float and everyone tolerated them all the way down the river.
Great place and we will be back. Only without our kids this next time.
You guys keep up the good work.

Always great shuttle service, friendly staff, and the bathrooms are clean enough for a campground.

We arrive to people in our spot. We were Told to find a open spot and camp there. (Meaning we would be taking someone else's spot). Once again our plug was unplugged from the power pole. This is a problem that happened last time. Thought I'd try again because I like being by the river. Place gets too crowded as the floating people start showing up making it hectic and a hassle to get around. Place lacks organization. Loud music late into the night (1-2am). The camping page is very deceiving and misleading.

Two stars because it’s not the water’s fault… these folks let me down every time we go. Waited almost 2 hours to load, and one of our guys had to help load the boats because their guys were “down in the field”. Three of us floated and we got 2 small kayaks and one 10 ft boat. The smaller ones were awful; too small and light for an adult to use for sure. The porta-John’s by the office looked like they hadn’t been cleaned in a month. After we got to the first drop, the driver realized she didn’t have one of the groups on her list. How do they continue to operate? I will not be going back! There are other outfitters close by: JRO for one, use them!

Great price. Great float. Great shuttle driver. Everything was great! Thank you for everything!

My husband and I did a short float here recently and really enjoyed it. It was a weekday in early May and so peaceful and quite. We didn't see another soul the whole trip! We did the 4 mile float and it took us a couple of hours to complete. Lots of cranes and turtles along the way:) Everyone was really friendly, from the folks in the store, to the young man who drove the shuttle. Prices for canoe rentals are reasonable and gear and canoe were in good shape. Would definitely reccomend them for a float trip.

We had a Great time Camping and Floating from Jamestown bridge to our Camp at Hooten Town. The camp staff was very Friendly and Helpful. We'll be back for sure.

0/10 don't recommend. They were kinda rude and just expected everyone to know what to do. The lady next to us even was like are you going to tell us what to do we've never been here? The river was terrible very low and dirty. Go to sunburst ranch its worth the drive.

My family planned a float trip and used Hootentown. The reservation process was simple. All we had to do was call and tell them what we wanted, when we wanted it and give our name. When we arrived things were a bit chaotic. It took 20 minutes of standing in line to register.after registering it was almost an hour before they called our name for transportation.the transportation made multiple stops and it took another 30 minutes before we were on the water. Other places we have planned float trips through had the kayaks at the start point already and it took much less time.

Other than the river being a bit low the actual float was awesome. The scenery is absolutely beautiful and there are many places to stop and relax or have a picnic. The kayaks we rented were not new by any means but were in good working order and even had a water proof storage which was awesome. I would go back but plan to arrive earlier to make up for the disorganization.

We called the day before to make a reservation for the 13 mile trip. We were told the last shuttle for this trip leaves at 9AM. We showed up at 8: 45 and were paid and ready to go before 9. We were told they had to get the shuttles ready to go and then we would be ready to go. 45 minutes later with no word from anyone, we checked with the office and were told the shuttles weren't even on site. They had to drive 30 minutes to go get the shuttle. Shuttles should be back in 15 minutes they said. Another 45 minutes went by and one shuttle showed up. But none of the right equipment had been loaded up, so another 10 minutes to get that taken care of. But the shuttle was only for the other group. We went in and asked for a refund so we could leave. We were denied because "it wasn't their fault. " I guess it was our fault for showing up on time. Finally another 15 minutes later out shuttle showed up and was ready to go. We took off around 10: 50 for our 9: 00 appointment. Not one worker seemed to care and we talked to some others that had floated there before and this seems to be the new normal. While on the river, one of our kayaks leaked. We had to empty it 3 times. We told the guys at the end who helped us out of the water. They very nonchalantly said "it must have a crack or hole. " No apologies, no inspection of the raft, no reaction at all. The river was great but do not waste your time or money with this place.

Best watering hole ever. Gotta love Diana and Steve and their hardworking crew. Always a great personality and friendly atmosphere. Kayak and canoe rental is very reasonably priced as well as camping fees, not much of a wait time for shuttling to drop points. Food and beverages and mostly anything you might need for the river and camping.

If you're lucky, you might come across one of the Hootontown rocks. Painted with cute sayings, and there's rocks that have "treats" on them that you turn into the office for a cool treat. I love this place. Ill always come back for more

Every time I call up here they are rude. I called today to ask about information about floats and all they said was that they closed at 5: 30. No one told me they stopped shuttling at 1: 30. We drove an hour up there and was told that we could not float. This has happened more than once, tired of wasting time and gas over information that always changes.

Don’t go to Hootentown!
We called ahead and reserved our kayaks for a Wednesday. They told us to be there by 9: 00. We arrived at 8: 45 ready to go. We got paid and sat waiting for the shuttle. We waited over 2 hours before they took us to the river! There were others in the same situation as us. Our driver was new and he knew nothing about the area or the river. We finally got on the river about 11: 45ish! Ridiculous! We will never go to Hootentown again!

This place is always a blast. Hardly ever fills up. This and NRO are the places to go! This is 20 mins from Nixa and I have been going for 20 year’s! Kid friendly as well as pet friendly. Float and camping! 5 floats get one free!

Great place not far from Nixa, they have a small store, great little restaurant near there. Float trips ranging from a couple hours to all day. You can rent kayaks or canoes, tubes and if you have your own they will shuttle you for a small price.

Love this place! Diane and her crew are the kindest people ever! They do anything you need to make your experience very memorable! Been coming out here for 11yrs, and look forward to many more! Love you all! Thank you for what you do!